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About Me

So, my first ever blog post on my first ever blog will be a
bit of an introduction from me and a brief run down on what I aim to communicate
to whoever has the time and interest to listen.

I believe I am just a regular guy. I was born and bred in
northern Tasmania, where I still reside. I completed my apprenticeship as a
Mechanic at a local Holden dealership. I enjoy all the usual things, Fishing,
Camping, Motorcycle riding, hanging out with my friends etc. I am just a regular
guy that got his heart set on something which seemed impossible at the time but
ended up being well within my reach once I set my mind to it.

I have always had an interest in Antarctica, it has many
factors which I find appealing. The remoteness, the wildlife, the scenery and
of course extremes of the weather and conditions. I ended up ‘living the dream’
by being a wintering member of the 64th ANARE (Australian National
Antarctic Research Expedition) for the 2010/11 season at Davis station on the
Antarctic continent.

I had an amazing time on my expedition, but not for the
reasons I was expecting to. Everyone who has ever dreamed or imagined of
travelling to the great white south, especially in a working capacity would
have some ideas of what it would be like but from my experience the dream and
the actual journey is seldom the same, but equally as rewarding and valuable.

Recently, the opportunity arose for me to return to Davis again
as a wintering member of the 67th ANARE and of course I couldn't resist
the urge.

So my aim for this blog is to attempt to put whoever is
reading this in the shoes of an expeditioner, warts and all. Everyone has seen
photos of Penguins, Icebergs and Blizzards (and if you continue following my progress
you will see plenty more of them) but I also want to show the other parts of
living in Antarctica, from training in Tasmania and on the continent, the
buildings on station and how they work and what we get up to in our spare time.
I intend to regularly update (weekly or fortnightly
is my intention) about the latest happenings regardless how mundane or exciting.

Don’t hesitate to ask any questions, I am more than happy to talk
about my experiences.